Joining our collection of exciting new original canvas prints, ‘Diamond Concertina‘ is a sophisticated original 1950s wallpaper design in rich maroons and pinks. It is hand produced in our studio, printed on 100% cotton canvas with Epson HD pigment inks, and sealed with a matte varnish. Stretched neatly over a strong pine wood frame, this original canvas print is lightfast and ready to hang.
Orignal Artwork
In 1950s interior design, there was a trend for a feature wall with a dramatic flamboyant pattern which incorporated the colours used for the room. The original 1950s painting for ‘Diamond Concertina’ is on a much larger scale, suitable for a wallpaper. In order to show the repeat of this pattern, our fine art prints and canvases use a scaled-down version of the design, that also gives an impression of how the wallpaper would look at a distance.
Painting ‘Diamond Concertina’
The original design sample is hand-painted in gouache on heavy cartridge paper. Designers’ Gouache were the paints of choice in the textile and wallpaper design world at that time, because of their lightfast qualities and the extensive range of saturated colours that were available. They gave an exceptionally smooth matte finish when applied thickly and evenly, and our prints, greeting cards and notecards reproduce this velvet smoothness very closely.
The designer had to mix sufficient quantities of gouache paint to complete each colour in the pattern in advance. Gouache darkens as it dries, making perfect colour matching more of a challenge. To maintain the thick consistency of the paint and the smooth, streak-free finish required, the pre-mixed colours were stored in stacks of china cabinet saucers. This would allow a few days for the designer to use the pre-mixed colours without needing to add any water to the paint to moisten it, and thus avoid watery streaks or a powdery residue.
‘Diamond Concertina’ is a perfect example of original 1950s design, and makes a luxurious and stylish accent note for your favourite interior!